Tbilisi Boycotts JCC in Tskhinvali

Chief negotiators on the South Ossetian conflict from Russia, South Ossetia and Russia?s North Ossetia meet in the breakaway region?s capital, Tskhinvali, on July 13. Georgia refused to attend.

The Georgian side had earlier offered to host the meeting of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) in Tbilisi.  The South Ossetians, however, refused to travel to the Georgian capital, citing ?security concerns.?

Chief Russian negotiator Yuri Popov, who held talks in Tbilisi on July 12, said he ?unfortunately failed to convince? Merab Antadze, the Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues, to participate in the JCC meeting in Tskhinvali.

?It is now important to establish a dialogue between the sides. However, I can not say anything optimistic in this regard at this point,? Popov said in Tskhinvali on July 13, according to the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee.

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